Mortality in the era of deinstitutionalization

The authors examined the 3 1/2-year mortality rate of 1,033 psychiatric patients who had received inpatient treatment during a 1-year period, using standardized mortality ratios to identify heightened risk. Deaths due to accidents or suicides and pneumonia occurred more frequently than expected. Deaths due to cancer occurred primarily among alcoholics; nonalcoholic patients had a significantly lower cancer mortality risk. The risk associated with age was greatest for young patients in general, but male schizophrenic patients and female alcoholics died at particularly young ages. The highest mortality risk associated with diagnosis was for male patients with affective disorders. The authors discuss the implications of these findings.